Process and apparatus for converting hydrocarbon oils



Nov. 24, 1931. 1.. KIRSCHBRAUN PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CONVERTINGHYDROCARBON OILS Original Filed March 12, 1920 Patented Nov. 24,1931

em" sr Lns'rnn msonnnaun, on mom NEW JERSEY, assrenon TOUNIVERSAL OILrnonvars comm, or cnrcaeo, rumors, a conroaarron orsou'rn: mxora rnoonssAND arrana'rus 'ron qolwnnrnve mnocmonoms 1 I Application flledlllarch12, 1920, Serial No. 365,259. Renewed September 26, 1928.

' This application is an improvement of my application, Serial No.350,752, filed Janufary 12,1920.

This invention relates to a process and" apparatus for convertinghydrocarbons and refers more particularly to a process in whichhigh'boiling point hydrocarbons are converted into hydrocarbons of alower boilingv point such as gasoline'and'the like.

Among its salient objects are to provide a 7 process in which theoilvapors cracked from p v the body of the oil are dephlegmated andsubjected t0 a condensing action by being passed through the incomingraw oil and'intermingled in intimate relation therewith,

" ed to the cleaning of this collected carbon;

to provide a process in which the oil is heated in substantially solidvertical streams and circulated in a course opposed to that of .theheating gases; to provide a process in which differential pressures aremaintained on the oil in various parts of the system; to pro-.

vide animproved and novel type of apparatus for carrying out the processand general'to provide a process and apparatusof the character referredto.

In ghe sin 'le figure the apparatus is diagramm'atical y shown, partlyin section and with parts broken away.

Referring to the drawing, within the fur-' nace 1 is mounted a series ofvertical cracking tubes 2, which are connected at the top and bottombydrums 3 and 4. The upper drum 3' is d vided into two chambers by meansof partition wall 5. The heating gases vfrom the fur'nace'pass in thedirection shown by the arrows over the heating tubes and out through thestack'6.- The oil charge is drawn from any suitable source of supply(not shown) and'charged into the top of the dephlegmator 7 through thecharging pipe 8, pump '9 and line Valvesll and 12 control lines'10 and 8respectively. The

:This

raw oil passing down through the dephle mator is brought into intimatecontact wit the gaseous-vapors which are passing in an oppositedirection. The oil coursing down through the dephlegmator stands at aheight in the respective chambers of thedephlegmatordenoted by thedotted lines 1 shown at 12'. This height is regulated by stand pipes 13through which the oil passes from one chambertoanother. The oil vaporsrising. through the dephle through risers 14 are caused to bub le upthrough the standing oil due to the deflectors 15. The raw oil, togetherwith the reflux condensate, collects in the bottom of the de- TEs PATENTOFFICE;

ator

phlegmator and passes down through the line 16 controlled by valve. 17to a pump 18. pump forces the oil and distillate through the feed line19 to the upper chainber 3a of the drum 3. The oil then courses 3 downthro ugh the vertical cracking tubes in the direction shown by thearrows into the bottom drum 4 and up through similar cracking tubesconnected to, the lower drum and opposite. chamber 36 of. the upperdrum. n

It willtbe noted that the oil charge travels in a direction opposed to'the course of the heating gases. From the to of the chamber 36, agooseneck 20, contro ed. by valve 21, directs the heated oil to .thevapor chamber 22. A residuum drawofi 23 regulated by a valve 24 istapped into the lower part of this "vapor chamber. The vapors from thevapor chamber pass through the line 25 controlled by valve 26 to thedephlegmator 7 and rise,

as previously explained, through the raw oil charge. The vapors whichare not condensed in the dephlegmator pass ofl to a water condenser 27through the line 28, the latter being controlled by a valve 29. Thecondensed distillate is collected in a receiver 30, which is suppliedwith'a suitable drawofi 31 regulated by a valve 32. Thereceiver' has aliquid gauge 33, pressure gauge 34 and a pressure relief pipe 35controlled by a valve 36. .In the bottom drum 4, which is part ofthecracking zone, 'are supplied two large cleaning lates 37, which areeasily removable and rnish an accessible means of removing theprecipitated carbon from the cracking zone, as a greater part of thecarbon will collect in the lower drum due to the vertical posi- .tion ofthe cracking tube. A similar cleaning plate 38 makes the chamber 3?)accessible for cleaning. The endplates 39 and 40 of the vapor chamber 22are removable for cleaning of the vapor chamber. It is understood thatthe system is equipped with the usual pressure gauges, pyromet-ers andsight feeds.

" The object of interposing the valves 21, 26

and 29 in the lines 20, 25 and 28 respectively,

is for the purpose of operating the system under differential pressuresif desired. By this I mean, the cracking zone may be maintained underone pressure while the vaporchamber and dephlegmator are maintainedunder lower pressures regulated by these sequently, an increased yieldof lower boiling point hydrocarbons obtained.

In the construction here shown, I have mounted the vapor chambersomewhat higher than in my former application, de-

. creasing the amount of precipitated carbon which will form in thevapor chamber as the precipitated carbon and distillate which condensesdirectly on leaving the cracking zone will flow back through thegooseneck 20 into the cracking zone and collect in the lower drum 4,from which it can be easily cleaned.

The following illustrative run may be given: Taking gas oil of say, 32to 34 Baum from the mid-continent field, I subject the same to atemperature of from 750 to 900 F., and a pressure of 100 lbs. to 150lbs.; under such conditions a yield of from 35% to 40% of the originalgas oil will be converted into lower boiling point hydrocarbons. Theapparatus is preferably operated as a continuous process. r

I claim asmy invention:

1. In an apparatus for converting hydrocarbons, the combination with acracking zone mounted in a heating furnace comprising a plurality ofvertically arranged cracking tubes connected by upper and lower drums,said upper drum being centrally divided into two chambers, of a chargingline connected to one of the chambers of the vupper drum, an oiltransfer line connected to the opposite chamber of the upper drum, meansfor causing the heating gases to travel in a course opposed to thetravel of the oil,

an enlarged vapor chamber connected to said oil transfer line, adephlegmating means, comprising means for inter-mingling the incomingraw oils with the oil vapors connected to the vapor chamber, means fordrawing off the raw oil and distillate from the dephlegmating means andcharging the same to the cracking zone, means for condensing andcollecting the vapors from the dephlegmating means, valves interposed inthe vapor and liquid lines for maintaining successively lower pressuresin the cracking zone, vapor chamber, dephlegmator and condenser.

2. The process of converting hydrocarbon oils, comprising passing oil ina plurality of vertical streams first downwardly through a heatingchamber maintained at cracking 'ber.

. 3. The process of converting hydrocarbon oils, comprising passing oildownwardly in a plurality of small vertical streams in a heatingchamber, in then causing the oil to travel upwardly in a plurality ofsmall vertical streams in the heating chamber in a course substantiallyopposite to the travel of heating gases passing through said chamber,heating the oil to crac ing temperature during its travel through saidchamber in discharging the oil into an enlarged vapor chamber, inremoving vapors from said chamber, in discharging the vapors to adephlegmator, in introducing raw oil to the dephlegmator to condenseportions of the vapors, in discharging the uncondensed vapors, incollecting the condensate and raw oil, in introducing the same to theheating chamber, and in maintaining successively lower vapor pressui'eson the oil in the different units of the system.

4; A process of converting hydrocarbon oils consisting in passing theoil first downward in a plurality of small vertical streams, then upwardin a plurality of smallvertical streams through a cracking zone in acourse opposed to the travel of the heating gases, directing the oil toan enlarged unheated reaction chamber, taking off the vapors from saidchamber, and subjecting them to the condensing and dephlegmating actionof being brought into intimate relation with a plurality of oil pools ina dephlegmator, continuously introducing raw oil to said dephlegmator,passing the uncondensed vapors to a condenser and receiver, andmaintaining successively lower pressures upon the oil in the differentparts of the system.

5. The process of converting higher boiling point hydrocarbon oils intolower boiling point hydrocarbon oils, which consists in passing oil in aplurality of substantially vertical streams first downwardly through aheating zone, then upwardly through said zone, the temperatures to whichthe oil is subjected in said zone being such as to cause substantialconverslon of the oil, in discharging said oil into an expansionchamber, in taking off the vapors from the chamber, and maintaining thepressure in the expansion chamher lower than that to which the oil wassubected in passing through the cracking zone. 6. A process ofconverting hydrocarbon oils consisting in passing the oil firstdown-Ward in a plurality of small vertical streams, then upward in aplurality of small vertical streams through a cracking zone in a courseopposed to the travel of the heating gases, directing'the oil to anenlarged unheated reaction chamber, taking off the vapors from saidchamber, and subjecting them to the condensing and dephlegmating actionof being brought into intimate relation with a pluralityof oil pools ina dephlegmator, continuouslyintroducing raw oil to said dephlegmator,passing the uncondensed vapors to a condenser and receiver, andmaintaining succes sively lower pressures upon the oil in the differentparts of the system.

' 7 In a process for converting higher boiling point hydrocarbon oilsinto lower boiling point hydrocarbon oils, the improvement whichcomprises passing the oil in a plurality of substantially verticalstreams first downwardly and then upwardly through a heating zone andraising the oil to cracking temperature during such downward and upwardtravel, discharging the heated oil into an enlarged zone wherein aseparation of vapors and unvaporized oil occurs, removing vapors fromsaid enlarged zone and subjecting the same to dephlegmation to condensetherefrom the insufliciently cracked fractions, returning the condensedinsufliciently cracked fractions to the heating zone for retreatment inthe process, and condensing the dephlegmated vapors as the final productof the process.

LESTER KIRSOHBRAUN.

